Conflict and frontier control in Shane: the Ryker-Starrett dynamic

Shane (1953) by George Stevens is a film about a gun-toting man -- neither a man of the law nor a lawless man nor a cowboy for that matter -- who comes across a frontier that is burdened with conflict and oppression largely due to the violent reign of a cattle baron named Rufus Ryker and his henchmen. In true hero form, Shane sides with the oppressed -- particularly the Starrett family but representing the homesteaders overall -- living on the frontier and becomes for the audience a sort of representative or archetypal figure of the American West. He is a good man who comes in to help those that can't help themselves. He helps them fight for the land that they call home and, in the process, helps them fight for their dreams of living a peaceful life on the frontier.

The plot centers on three people: Shane, Rufus Ryker and Joe Starrett. When Shane arrives on the scene Rufus has long been trying to get the homesteaders -- including Joe -- to leave the land so that he can have it all to himself. The film chronicles the struggle for the frontier from the get-go. As soon as Shane arrives into town he finds himself in fights with Rufus's men, which only makes Rufus's quest to get rid of the homesteaders (and now Shane) more powerful. Rufus threatens to kills Shane and Joe the next time the two men show their faces. From the beginning of the film it is clear that this is about much more than three men with large egos fighting for the sake of fighting. There is a lot at stake for everyone involved -- but especially for the homesteaders who have made the land home and continue to be oppressed by the men who threaten with violence.

Rufus is able to drive many families off the land after he hires a man, Jack Wilson, to do dirtier business. In fact, it is after Wilson kills a homesteader who stands up to him that many decide to leave for good. At this point in the film it becomes clear that Rufus will do whatever he can -- and mainly using violent means -- to get the people off the land. His desire is a selfish one and the audience is forced to question whether or not the land is worth this sort of fight. The frontier thus becomes representative of something much bigger than just land. It becomes representative of values and the individual's right to live peacefully and his or her right to have hope.

It is questionable why Shane devotes his time to the Starrett family, why he decides to stay in this town, and why he chooses to risk his life for the sake of these people. He can leave at any time, but he chooses to stay. The audience never learns much about Shane's past, but the little that is divulged seems to point to the notion that Shane wasn't able to take care of his own family. This makes sense if one wants to think that Shane is on a personal quest to fulfill some kind of sense of unworthiness within himself for his inability to protect his own family from harm. There seems to be a longing in him -- a longing for a family (with a wife much like Marian) and for children. The longing becomes deeply connected in fighting for the frontier and it seems that Shane has come to the conclusion in his own mind that with the frontier comes forgiveness and a way of making things right again. This must be why he chooses to fight Rufus and his men for people that he doesn't even really know yet somehow deeply cares about.

Rufus, on the other hand, represents the law. He is not a man of the law but rather a lawless man who rules the frontier with violence and intimidation. This intimidation is always present on the frontier and it becomes even more flagrant once Shane arrives. Once Shane is on the scene the film becomes one that is about good and evil and the fight for what is right. This temporarily does make things hard (er) for the homesteaders, particularly because Shane chooses to fight Rufus and his men head on. He decides that this is a fight he must take alone and he goes to great lengths (even knocking Joe out) to prevent any of the homesteaders from getting hurt. Of course there are homesteaders who lose their lives as Rufus continues his intimidation by burning down houses and having his henchman Wilson kill those who defy his orders. Still there is the question that remains: Why does Shane choose to fight for these people? The audience is just left to accept that he is an archetypal figure -- the good ol' boy who is kind to men and women alike and who just wants everyone to get along.